DDHK News, Indonesia - Through the Grant Making program, Dompet Dhuafa (DD) empower forest honey farmers in Ujung Kulon, Banten. This program is implemented through synergy Dompet Dhuafa with the Hanjuang Mahardika Nusantara Association (PHMN), a Banten local community social organization engaged in advocacy and community empowerment.
The Grant Making Program initiated honey farmers to be able to implement sustainable honey harvesting, improve honey quality and access to massive marketing. From generation to generation, the people of Ujung Kulon often harvest forest honey because of the large amount of honey production and the supporting forest ecosystem.
However, the longer the population of beehives in the forest decreases due to the unsustainable harvesting process, namely taking all parts of the beehive including bee saplings. In addition, the honey they harvest has a low price of only Rp. 15.000-Rp. 25.000 / kg which is bought by middlemen and is not worth the risk and hard work of looking for honey for days in the middle of the forest.
In 2014, through this empowerment program, forest honey farmers and PHMN administrators formed the Hanjuang cooperative. Farmers who are members of the cooperative can sell honey to the cooperative at a higher price, which is IDR 65.000 / kg. The honey that has been purchased from the community is then processed using an installation so that the honey sold has SNI quality with a water content of only 20%.
The processed honey packaging also varies with sizes 300gr-400gr. The packaging is sold at varying prices according to size. The profit from the sale of this honey is shared by the profits for cooperative members. That way, it is hoped that farmers who are members of the cooperative will feel the benefits and experience an increase in income.
“Alhamdulillah, the Assisted Grant Making program Dompet Dhuafa can increase the confidence of honey farmers and increase their knowledge capacity about honey processing, "said Eman Sulaeman, manager of the Hanjuang Cooperative.
The Hanjuang Cooperative as a marketing unit for forest honey products opens market access by cooperating with several partners. Currently, forest honey marketing is not only national but also international. Several ASEAN countries, such as Malaysia and Brunei, have also imported forest honey products, with 2-5 tons of honey in one shipment.
Unfortunately, harvesting forest honey is highly dependent on weather conditions which are often erratic. Farmers can only harvest in the dry season, because in the dry season the bees can collect honey from the growing flowers, while in the rainy season there are no flowers. Walhail, during the rainy season the forest honey farmers rely on rice fields or sail to make ends meet.
"Grant Making is one of the programs initiated to work with various social institutions so as to increase the competitiveness of local products and provide space for creation in the scope of economic empowerment," said General Manager of the Economic Program. Dompet Dhuafa, Tendy Satrio. (Dompetdhuafa.org). *
